


The Rescue Mission

by orphan_account



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-15 18:59:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8068966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What if there hadn't been a rope? What if Erin had just jumped after Abby with no way of getting back to Earth?





	1. We Can't Bring Them Back

“Those guns come with instructions?”

“Come on, Rowan, come and get your virginity out of the lost and found!”

“You shoot like girls!”

Cacophonous harmonies erupted from the floor as the glass flew towards Patty and Holtzmann’s boots. The former MTA worker had of course meant to aim at Rowan’s ghost but had hit the chandelier instead— the resulting noise startled Holtzmann, who hastened her grip on her proton gun and adjusted her glasses.

“I think you broke it,” she murmured.

“This is ridiculous, let’s get Kevin!” Abby commanded, tucking her own gun underneath her elbow.

Patty and Holtzmann kept an eye on the stairs in case Rowan decided to make a reappearance while Abby and Erin lugged the secretary towards the door. Holtzmann noticeably made a face when Erin commented on Beckman’s “pure muscle and baby soft skin”. Now was not the time for flirting, but neither was there time for argumentation on the heterosexuality in question. She would have to settle with kicking Rowan’s ass to vent her frustration.

“Show yourself, Rowan!” Abby ordered.

“What form would you prefer I take?”

Holtzmann scoffed, “Um... something stationary— like a bullseye?”

“Well I’ll tell you what I want!” Patty said with an exasperated tone, “Something cute, like a friendly little ghost!”

All four of them jumped in union, frightened when their very logo appeared before their eyes. The shy hands tucked behind his back and the apologetic expression on the cartoon’s face bemused Holtzmann for a moment before Rowan began to grow in size— the cartoon appearance melting into a sinister form made of fabric. His eyes glowed with a combination of Hell and hatred.

He’d gone full _Oogie Boogie_ from _Nightmare Before Christmas_.

“Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!” Holtzmann blurted out.

The colossal (and ever growing) monster raised his hands and, like a spell from Harry Potter, the five of them flew backwards out of the hotel lobby. The soldiers, firemen, and police officers that had previously served as statues also fell down around them; Holtzmann had to lift a few arms off of her chest to sit upright. Her eyes followed the flow of spiraling debris in the sky that lifted higher and higher as Rowan’s form ripped apart the Mercado. Limbs untangled themselves ever so slowly, Holtzmann pulling Erin to her feet with an instinctual protectiveness. She wouldn’t let the physicist get hurt on her watch— if she could help it. The four of them began to run, and as Rowan’s enormous feet rose and smashed and rose and smashed against the asphalt, Holtzmann sent out a silent prayer that no innocent civilian was crushed.

 _We left Kevin behind_ , she thought, while Erin shot a desperate proton stream at a building to distract Rowan. _We just left him there._

All four women ducked into an alleyway to catch their breath.

“Homeboy is pretty much not keeping up with what we agreed upon. What part of cute and friendly does he not understand?” Patty quipped.

The monster seemed distracted in his rampage, and the Ghostbusters took the opportunity to sprint back to the portal. At least if Rowan was using a skyscraper as a punching bag, they had a little time to figure out what to do with his freaky machinery in the basement. Holtzmann peered into the green abyss for a few seconds while the others spoke, and her heart stopped. As ghosts continued to stream out from the mythical realm, Patty turned and pointed out the car. Erin, Abby, and Holtz concluded that the nuclear equipment could cause a total protonic reversal and turn the portal into a giant ghost trap. The strange green blob that had commandeered the Ecto-1 beforehand continued to hysterically steer the hearse as the Ghostbusters used proton streams to narrow its path. The Cadillac flew into the portal and Holtzmann let out a shaky breath, tugging on Erin’s shoulder for the two of them to stand clear.

And when the city lit up in a beautiful crimson, she knew that someone above was listening to her prayers.

Ghosts from every direction were sucked back into the dismal realm, and Holtzmann glanced up to witness the Mercado beginning to reform. But Rowan was still on this plane of existence— and that was a huge no no.

“Alright girls, let’s loosen his grip!” Abby smirked.

All four of them aimed their proton guns at his crotch, and when he howled in pain, Holtzmann couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yo, that’s where you wanted us to aim, right?”

“YES!”

Rowan tripped over a firetruck as he went down, falling like a tree after being chopped. But Holtz knew something was wrong— call it primal instinct if you will. She glanced to her left to see Abby pushing Patty out of the way, the MTA worker screaming her name as Rowan carried her into the portal. Erin frantically searched for a way to safely dive rescue Abby, but not a shred of hope presented itself. Naturally, the physicist did something brash and stupid— she dove in after Rowan and her best friend just as the portal closed up. Holtzmann’s eyes widened and she dropped her proton gun in anguish.

“NO! OH GOD, NO, NO, NO!” she screamed, running towards the now rebuilt Mercado.

A final explosion made of ghostly energy knocked Holtzmann and Patty off their feet, sending the engineer flying backwards into a police car. She hit the back of her head and lost focus for a few seconds as pain rang throughout her skull.

“Erin... Abby... Erin...” she mumbled, trying to stay awake.

Her fingers felt out, desperate for something to touch. The pad of her pinkie caught on a sharp piece of metal and Holtzmann felt a sting. As blood drew from her finger, the pain managed to bring the engineer’s focus back to the present. Back to reality. Back to the shitty situation.

Holtzmann felt someone shaking her shoulder.

“Come on baby, we gotta find some way to rescue them!” Patty murmured.

“We gotta... save... Erin and Abby...” Holtzmann repeated with a vague sense of concentration, slowly rising to her feet. “We gotta... basement...”

“That’s right, baby. Let’s go see if Rowan’s machine can help us get them back!”

Patty’s fingers slipped into Holtzmann’s to help guide her. With her free hand, Holtzmann felt the back of her head— touching a bump and pulling her glove forward to see blood. She would deal with her injury later. The pair had bigger problems on their hands. As expected, not a soul dwelled in the Mercado hallway, yet all the furniture and decorations had neatly organized themselves back into their original positions. It was as though nothing had happened in the first place. As though the apocalypse had not occurred and Rowan had not dragged her two best friends into the land of the dead.

Patty kicked the basement doors open with a furious yell, and Holtzmann raised her proton gun with a snarl.

Smoke blinded Holtzmann’s yellow glasses and she let out a cough, surging forwards and waving her hands around to clear the air. When she could see again, she let out a cry of desperation— for the machine that had torn a hole between two planes of existence was merely a pile of smoldering ruins.

“We can’t get them back... Patty, we can’t bring them back. Erin and Abby are dead,” Holtzmann sobbed.

Her friend didn’t answer, letting the silence speak for itself.

 

___________________________________________________

 

A doctor carefully bandaged Holtzmann’s cranium, having shaved the small part of the back of her head to stitch up the deep gash caused by colliding against the police car. She didn’t mind, really. Hair could regrow. He spoke in a horrid drawl as he reminded her not to expose herself to bright lights and to have a friend wake her up every two hours.

It wasn’t as though Holtzmann was going to sleep anytime soon.

She let him ramble on and on. This was her... let her do the math... her thirteenth concussion in her entire thirty-two years of existence. She knew the basics by now.

Patty held her hand the entire time, never breaking eye contact. Five hours had passed since the Battle at Time Square. Since her two best friends... she didn’t want to think about it. At the doorway, Jennifer Lynch was answering news reporter’s questions on the events that had transpired. Fake smile after fake smile, the Mayor’s assistant shot Holtzmann a slightly nervous glance before shooing the reporters away and sitting down in a cozy-looking armchair.

“What exactly... happened to the other members of your team?” Jennifer asked, her lips pursed and a lone eyebrow raised with inquisition.

Patty cleared her throat, “Abby was dragged into the portal and Erin jumped in after h—”

“They were killed,” Holtzmann flatly answered. “They were killed and if you and Bradley had just listened to us, they would be here right now. WE warned you that this would happen, and WE paid the price.”

Lynch stiffened, but didn’t say anything. A new cat had escaped from a bag, and this time she couldn’t deny what the engineer had stated. It was true and everyone knew it.

“Baby, you need some rest,” Patty whispered to the mad scientist. “Don’t you go burning any bridges just now.”

Holtzmann shook in anger but refused to give up her stink eye on Jennifer as the assistant leaned forwards, dropping the fake smile.

“I understand if you would like to refuse this offer... but given the circumstance, our office would be willing to cover any and all expenses stemming from this altercation. Anything you need, fully funded.”

“You really want to talk about paying for a funeral right now?” Holtzmann blurted out skeptically. “Why stop there? A Ghostbusters theme park! Or perhaps an interview with Diane Sawyer? They’ll write an SNL skit out of this like it’s no big deal? Let’s make the girls famous now that they’ve become useful? No matter that two of them died, we can just replace them in the blink of an eye!”

Jennifer shifted uncomfortably in her seat, “Well, we figured that—”

“Baby, you figured wrong,” Patty retorted. “We don’t want your money.”

The mayor’s assistant took that as her que to awkwardly leave. Holtzmann didn’t _want_ to feel hostility towards her, but in the wake of everything that had transpired, she could only pin all the blame on the people who had casually dismissed their warnings. What good was a government that did not protect its citizens?

The doctor, who had kept silent for all of this, quietly gave his approval for Holtzmann and Patty to leave, claiming that the ghosts of former patients had haunted the hospital during the Rowan-apocalypse only hours ago, and that the Ghostbuster’s help in reversing the portal solved their spectral problem, and caused the staff to be extremely grateful. Long story short, the hospital was more than willing to wave the medical fees.

Patty gently guided Holtzmann towards the doorway, where they were met with flashes of cameras and microphones stuck in their faces. Unlike the incident at the Stonebrook Theater, Holtzmann was not excited to answer their questions. She pushed her way through the crowd and picked out a noticeable figure standing in the parking lot with his head bowed low. Kevin had managed to send them a text message, informing Patty and Holtzmann that he’d borrowed a car from his mom and could pick them up from the hospital. A look of shame across his face at the concept that he’d had a role in the near destruction of New York, as well as the... well... the killings of Erin and Abby... Holtzmann was sure to give him a long hug before sliding into the back seat of the Honda.

The drive home was eerily silent.

 Just as Holtzmann was about to fall asleep, her phone buzzed. She ignored the text message for a few moments before Patty asked her if she was going to see what it was. Holtzmann shifted in her seat and pulled the Samsung out of her pocket, tapping the button on the top and letting out an impatient sigh. And then her eyes widened, passing through the emotions of confusion, bewilderment, and excitement within a matter of seconds;

 

**Erin – (9:53 am) – So... it turns out that the ghost world has cell reception?**

 

Holtzmann cried in relief all the way home.


	2. You Should See the Other Guy

               

                Erin huddled close to both Abby and the campfire, desperately trying to keep awake as “night” fell in the ghost world. Someone in this realm was on their side, it seemed, for as soon as the black sun in the sky had begun to set, tiny campfires had sprouted up along the ground. The world they were in was hot, unbelievably hot, and yet Erin could not stop shivering. Her fingers felt stiff and she huddled close to Abby so as not to feel... cold? Did temperature even matter in a land where nothing lived? Were they still alive? Oh god, what if they had... what if...

                She glanced around.

                As far as the physicist could tell, the two women had ended up in a petrified forest of sorts... organic matter turned into a stone-like substance. She dreaded to wonder what life forms had gone through the process of petrification, and then shook her head. This may have been the ghost world, but fossils were fossils. She glanced down at a rock and bent forwards to pick it up. The fossil inside appeared as a bird’s skeleton— Erin inspected the bones with great trepidation, her eyes widening when she realized that the fossil was squirming around in the carbon. Were it not for the dire situation, the concept would’ve been fascinating— ghost possession of fossils and bones. Yet Erin could not find it within herself to stomach observation of this moving fossil. She tossed it aside and watched the rock tumble down the mountain.

                “Murmph... Rowan... you slimy bastard...” Abby muttered in her sleep.

                Erin’s hand raised to her mouth and she rubbed her nose in thought— a habit that she could not shake off. Whenever she had to contemplate, whether about ghosts, tenure, or equations, hder fingers always seemed to find their way to her skin; and she knew that it would only be a matter of time before she started scratching at herself again. And in a world like this, where medical supplies would likely not be prevalent, the last thing that Erin should be doing was hurting herself. There was also the concern that carrion-feeding monsters might be drawn to them, especially if they smelled blood. Erin couldn’t worry Abby like that.

                “Stay with me. Please,” she whispered into Abby’s hair, leaning into her best friend and ignoring the tears dripping down her cheeks.

                Abby had been out of sorts, having her ribs cracked by Rowan’s sinister grip and unconscious from the pain. It was only luck that Erin had managed to fire at his colossal fabric hand with her proton gun and loosen his fingers enough for her to grab onto her best friend. They watched as Rowan tumbled through some sort of light with a snarl on his face, only to find themselves tumbling after him. Thank _Lovelace_ that they hadn’t ended up in the same place as that son of a b—

                Erin’s cell buzzed.

                “Oh my god, oh god, oh god!” she whimpered, unbuttoning her breast pocket and fumbling for the cheap flip phone.

               

                **Holtzy – (9:57 am) – Are you alive?**

               

                With a cry of relief, she eagerly typed a response. Her heart felt as though it had stopped— and with their current stint being in the ghost world, there was a good chance that it had.

               

                **Erin – (10:00 am) – I don’t know, to be honest. We still have pulses, but I don’t really want to know our chances of survival in here.**

**Holtz – (10:02 am) – Message Pt. 1 – Let’s start simple. Patty and I are formulating a rescue plan, and we have the funding for it from Bradley, so we should be able to reach you soon. You need to st**

**Holtz – (10:03 am) – Message Pt. 2 – ay put for the time being. Try and conserve both cellular and proton pack battery. I don’t know what you’re going to come across in there.**

               

                Erin rubbed her eye and realized that she’d been uncontrollably crying. Her hands shaking, she desperately unzipped Abby’s coat and found her cell phone, turning it off and stowing it away in her own pocket. Then, she scooted across the dirt and powered down her own proton pack— knowing that Abby’s was more functional.

 

                **Holtz – (10:05 am) – This is probably a bad idea, but you should look for something to eat and some water. I really should think about building snack compartments in our packs.**

 

                Erin let out a sobbing laugh. Even when situations were at their direst, Holtz was always thinking of how she could improve a gizmo or a gadget. Then again, the nuclear radiation that the proton packs emitted would probably give them cancer within a matter of years if they were to store food nearby. She carefully propped Abby so that she could continue peacefully resting (or rather, as peacefully as one could in the land of the dead).

                She stood, slipping on Abby’s proton pack and lighting up the wand. In her right pocket, there was the calming weight of her Swiss army knife, and dangling at her hip was the tiny but powerful minigun that Holtz had made for her. Erin also had the relief of knowing Abby’s glove could take out a few class 3’s if the situation called for it.

                Too bad they didn’t have any more grenades.

               

___________________________________________________

 

                After an hour of wandering around the area, only having to blast three or four ghosts, Erin finally came across a fruit tree. Absolutely excited, she edged closer to the source of food, but as soon as her fingers reached out, the apples leapt away. Again and again, she tried to snatch some fruit, yet her efforts were to no avail.

                “What?!” she murmured.

                Erin looked down, realizing that there was water at her feet. She kneeled, cupping her hands to grab a sip. But as soon as her fingers were to touch the surface, the water vanished.

                “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

                “Don’t bother, it’s been that way for many a millennium,” a dejected voice behind her sighed.

                Erin whipped around to find a ghost sitting in the water, fully clothed. He was... appallingly emancipated, with a crown atop his curly black hair and hollow pits where his eyes should have been. No, that was too simple of a description. Erin could feel a sort of... hatred for this man, even though she’d never met anyone who’d looked like him in her life. Yet his face was full of despondence and futility. And anger.

                “H-Hello?”

                “Well, well, well,” the ghost said, cocking his head to examine her, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a living soul in this fold. Perhaps... perhaps if I cook you, the gods will finally be impressed with me. Perhaps I might end this torture.”

                Erin pulled the proton wand from her shoulder and pointed it at the ghost-king, “Not unless you want a blast of nuclear energy to the face, bozo.”

                “What a curious spear. Was that forged by the Cyclopes?”

                “Okay. You’re really nuts,” Erin murmured. “I’m going to put you out of your misery, alright?”

                The ghost-king’s mouth broke into a wide smile, and black tears dripped down his face. He reached out, desperately making a grab for Gilbert’s ankle. She leapt back and let her finger hover over the button.

                “Please! I beg of you! Release me from this immortal torture! My kingdom will reward you greatly. They shall call you the Savior of Tantalus!”

                He made another grab for her leg, and she pressed down on the button. A stream erupted from her gun and engulfed the ghost-king. He must’ve been rather frail, for the tendrils of energy engulfed him and he shattered into a million tiny spectral particles. Ectoplasm seeped into the water and his crown went flying into the trees. Erin took a few steps back.

                Her stomach growled, and she made a face, knowing that Abby was counting on her to bring back food and water.

                And so, Erin reached out for a second time towards the food, surprised when her fingers struck solid material. At least she’d gotten her hands on something substantial, but there was still the problem of not knowing if this was edible. The apple felt and smelled normal, and Erin figured that if it were poisoned, they would at least be free of this hellhole. She gathered a few more apples and pulled an empty water bottle out from a cup holder on Abby’s proton pack— Holtzmann really did think of everything.

                She edged over to a part of the pond that hadn’t been contaminated yet by the ectoplasm, which was evaporating away from the heat of the ghost world. The water did not vanish this time, and she let out a sigh as she scooped up enough for one person, making a silent promise that Abby would be fully hydrated before she fetched some for herself.

                The crown lay forgotten as she made her way down the hill.

 

___________________________________________________

 

 

                **Holtzy – (2:02 pm) – Just checking in. Is everything alright?**

**Erin – (2:04 pm) – Yeah. Still dark out, but I managed to find some food. Had to fight a weird ghost for it. He wouldn’t shut up, yammering on about cyclopes and tanty-something.**

**Holtzy – (2:07 pm) – Sounds suspicious. How’s Abs?**

**Erin – (2:27 pm) – Sorry I didn’t reply sooner, ghost attack. Abby is still out for the count/took a hit when Rowan grabbed her. She needs medicine, but I don’t know anything about first aid. Talk about a shitty teammate.**

**Holtz – (2:27 pm) – You say that about yourself again, and I will go to the ghost world just to kick your ass.**

               

                At that, Erin felt herself crying a little. It’d been so long since she’d had someone stick up for her, and after years of dragging herself through the mud just to impress people who, in all honesty, weren’t really worth it, she wanted nothing more than to hug all of her teammates for a solid day. Never had she felt so... wanted.

                And now she was wasting her life away in the land of the dead.

                “Erin... can I have some water?”

                “Oh my gosh, of course! You’re awake!” she blurted, shaking herself out of her train of thought. “How are your ribs?”

                After sipping the water bottle, Abby gave a weary chuckle, “No worries. You should see the other guy.”

                “God, you’re so full of it.”

                “Erin?”

                “Hmm?”

                “Your face is caked in dirt, homie,” Abby groaned. “Like, hygiene much?”

                “Well I haven’t really seen many opportunities for showering here in the ghost world. Although I could try bathing in that River of Fire I saw on our way in.”

                “Ghost world? We’re still in the ghost world?”

                “Yep.”

                “God dammit,” Abby groaned. “I hope Rowan got shattered into a thousand little pieces. I’ll bet he was the kinda guy that wore a Guy Fawkes mask and posted pictures of naked celebs online.”

                “The kinda guy who would go on a rampage just because there was an all-female reboot of a movie?”

                “Yeah. They sealed the deal on my asexuality—”

                A loud groan, as though a dragon were burping, resonated through the ghost world. Erin and Abby turned their heads, the latter weakly so, towards the source of the noise— what appeared to be a giant pit, many miles away. As far as Erin could tell, they were on the top of some sort of mountain. She didn’t really want to go looking for trouble, though— a trait that this world seemed to be full of.

                Erin glanced down and turned off her phone. She didn’t want to waste battery if she didn’t have anything to tell Holtz. That’s not to say that she didn’t want to talk to the engineer, of course. It was just that... well...

                She was worried that any text message to Holtz might be her last.

                “Come across any cool ghosts yet?” Abby asked.

                Erin propped herself up on her elbow and took a sip of water before shrugging, “Just some guy called temper-tantrum or whatever. Couldn’t eat or drink the food next to him, but when I blasted the proton gun at him, he went away.”

                She glanced over at her best friend, who’s eyes had gone as wide as saucers.

                “Did. He. Say. His. Name. Was. Tantalus?”

                “Um... yep. That was it. Why? Should we be worried?”

                Abby gazed out across the ghost world, the glint in her eyes shifting from scared to depressed to calculating— as though she were trying to formulate an escape plan with a very low chance of survival. She let a sigh out of her nose and stared at the giant chasm all those miles away.

                “I think... I may have an idea of where we are. And you’re not going to like it.”  

 


End file.
